Rising Stars: Meet Enyjé Sandoz of Glendale, CA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Enyjé Sandoz

Hi Enyjé, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My interest in the realm of communications dates back to 2014. With the rise of social media, I cultivated a platform from my bedroom that reached people from across the globe. With a fan-site platform of 67,400 followers (2019), I became aware of not only my passion for connecting with the masses through public relations, marketing, advertising, and promotions but also the importance and responsibility one has when they are in a position to influence through media. With the experience I gained as a teenager in conjunction with classes I have taken at Glendale Community College (Intro to Mass Communications, Public Relations, and Social Media Marketing I), I landed an internship opportunity through the Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship (GMUI) Program as the Summer 2023 Education and Engagement Intern at the Museum of Neon Art (MONA). From a hobby to an internship, my love for communications grows as I continue to learn and experience more within this field.

Throughout high school, I envisioned myself running a blog. I grew up reading magazine columns from young girl and teen magazines; one of my favorite TV characters (Phoebe Halliwell from Charmed, 1998) was an advice columnist. I enjoyed writing; I desired to create a hub to discuss my interests.

In 2020, while attending FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in New York, I began to actualize the vision. I launched my first blog, Realm of Enyjé. I published two blog posts—and then things halted as I moved across the country to Southern California amid the pandemic. Later that year, I published my first-ever poetry collection, eszbrze: Poetry Collection by Enyjé Mai.

A year later (2021), in the spur of the moment, I elected to re-enroll in school. Sitting at my kitchen counter, I completed my application to Glendale Community College, majoring in Mass Communications, which changed to Communication Studies.

Fast forward to 2023, I enrolled in an introductory course in Public Relations. One of my assignments was to create and write a blog post about a 24-hour detox from social media. I was excited about not only the challenge but also being able to start and write a blog. I titled the blog Written By Enyjé as I already had an Instagram handle with that name (@writtenbyenyje) – the page’s purpose was to post my poetry, and while I did so for a few weeks, I became inactive on the account. After acing my assignment, I did not give running a blog much thought as I was pursuing other endeavors.

A year later, I graduated from Glendale Community College with an Associate of Arts in Communication Studies for Transfer. Before graduating, I posted an assignment on Instagram that highlighted interpersonal communication concepts through music lyrics (you can read it on my blog: Chris Brown’s Residuals, Understanding Interpersonal Communication Through Music by Enyjé Sandoz), and noted how other people were interested in analyzing music, and so on. Months later, I was inspired to publish this assignment (along with other assignments) on my Written By Enyjé blogger account: writtenbyenyje.blogspot.com.

As a result, it birthed Written By Enyjé: nineteen blog posts spanning music, film & television, analyses, anecdotes of my personal life (also known as the Realm of Enyjé), French culture (I also graduated from GCC with an Associate of Arts degree and certificate in French), and anything else that tickles my fancy.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey to get where I am today was just that – a journey!

Though I was aware of my interest in communications, I was unsure of the path ahead. During my 10th-grade year of high school, attending college was less appealing. Once I walked across the stage to graduate high school, I wanted that to be the end of my academic journey – at least in a traditional sense.

Upon graduating high school in 2019, I did not know the necessary steps for me to take to achieve my goals. More than anything, it was frightening now being deemed an adult, and not having the containment of school made it even more difficult. After reaching a breaking point in August 2019, I applied to the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in Manhattan, New York. I’d always loved fashion and had aspirations of launching my own clothing brand, so their Fashion Business Management (AAS) program seemed perfect for my intended goal. Also, though it was still college, it was not a four-year university, nor did it seem to have the restriction – something I sought to circumvent. (You can read more about my college journey in my blog post “The Results are in! – Transfer Admissions Decisions” by Enyjé Sandoz at writtenbyenyje.blogspot.com.)

My time at FIT was transformative but short due to two factors: it was not the optimal fit for me, but mainly the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the world was simultaneously shutting down, my family and I uprooted from the East Coast and moved to California. Moving to a new state (a place I’d never even visited) amid a global health crisis had its challenges, but there was no other place I’d rather be. I had only dreamed of moving to Southern California; it was now my reality. As I adjusted to my new life, I found solace in poetry. Within a month, I wrote over thirty-two poems. After constant encouragement from my mom to showcase my poetic talents, I decided to post my poetry to my Instagram account. One of my mottos in life is “to infinity and beyond”, so it was not long after that I self-published my first-ever poetry collection titled eszbrze: Poetry Collection by Enyjé Mai.

I never considered being a published poet and author as a career path for me, as poetry was a means of expression, something I often kept private. I was elated to have taken a risk and tried something new, different, and outside of my comfort zone, though I did not feel fulfilled or stimulated.

I knew I was destined for more; I wanted more, and this was only a pit stop on my voyage.

“It’s not about the destination; it’s about the journey” rings true in my life. Every road I’ve traveled served a purpose, never failing to remind me of its ubiquitous impact on my exploration of self and life itself.

Change is scary, but never trying is far more terrifying. Life is not linear, despite what has been said or engrained in our belief systems. There are innumerable ways to achieve a goal, which will look different for everyone as our lives are unique experiences tailored to who we are as individuals.

Among all, the greatest lesson I’ve learned is to trust myself and to trust the process.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Creativity is the core of everything that I do. I love music – I grew up singing in my school’s choir, played the clarinet, and learned how to play the piano. I dabble in painting, sketching, and drawing. I fully immerse myself in coloring (I have an Instagram account dedicated to my coloring masterpieces: @enyjelovescoloring) as I find it meditative and an opportunity to experiment and explore, or something as simple as allowing my quirkiness to show when it comes to my Instagram page (@offthecoffee) dedicated to my love for coffee. Most of all, I write. Writing has always been an outlet for my vast imagination. My 10th-grade year of high school was pivotal in developing my craft and discovering my flow as I enrolled in Creative Writing. Years prior, my favorite Language Arts units were poetry, memoir, and narrative writing. My Creative Writing elective allowed me to reconnect with my favorite forms of writing but in unique ways.

For example, one of my first assignments was writing an autobiography in poetry form. It was my favorite assignment: it challenged me to be concise but did not restrict my creativity as I delved into the stylistic aspects of poetry formatting. My teachers (one was a substitute while the other was on maternity leave) loved this poem (along with another one) so much that my actual teacher wanted me to submit two of my poems to our school’s literary magazine. Due to limited spacing (the literary magazine also extended to art, etc.), I selected my favorite poem as my submission to the magazine, which happened to be the autobiography poem.

While I have accomplished many things in life (academic accolades, being featured in two newspaper articles for singing/choir during middle school, publishing my poetry collection, being a college graduate, etc.), I am most proud of my blog.

It’s a vessel for my creativity in every aspect. Not only am I the sole creator and writer of Written By Enyjé, I am the sole brainstormer for all ideas (whether it be a blog post or a graphic), graphic designer, social media manager, reviser and editor, publisher, point of contact – I do it all. Every facet of running my blog provides me with great fulfillment, as the sense of achievement that comes with the ability to have a vision and bring it to life through your own efforts is unmatched. Also, I have perfectionistic tendencies, so being a one-woman show requires me to further push and challenge myself to ensure that the finished product is what I imagined.

I have the platform I always dreamed of creating.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Be yourself. Your authenticity is your superpower and most potent guidance system. To be yourself instills a level of self-trust that is crucial in every aspect of life. That trust then alchemizes into confidence, and confidence prompts us to act. When you operate from a space of authenticity, taking risks may evoke some fear, but it does not immobilize you. If anything, the fear impels you to imbue your efforts into your desired goal, as you know it’ll all work out. To remain authentic also maintains your alignment with your values and morals as you pursue and encounter different opportunities.

Authenticity is an unapologetic stance in your truth. It is your je ne sais quoi. Over 8 billion people are roaming the Earth, yet there’s only one you. It may sound cliqué, but it is a fact! As my favorite artist once said in an interview, “Conformity is prison.” Why be among the crowd when you were designed and deserve to shine in your own light?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://writtenbyenyje.blogspot.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writtenbyenyje/
• Twitter: https://x.com/writtenbyenyje
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@writtenbyenyje
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@writtenbyenyje